FIBER PERFORMANCE INDEX

Responding to the needs of architects, facility owners and operators, Labosport has introduced in 2015 the Fiber Performance Index (FPI) – the first true measurement of artificial turf fiber quality.

The FPI establishes an “index” – a rating or score of an artificial turf fiber, to help prospective turf buyers understand and weight the individual qualities of a turf fiber. FPI provides a comparative measuring tool to help architects, facility owners and operators make the right artificial turf selection from a wide number of options.

Carefully designed to quantify the key aspects of a fiber, the FPI includes now the latest FRICTION TEST developed by Labosport. More than ever the FPI highlights the most important criteria to those purchasing a sports field:

Durability – Measured by UV exposure and fiber wear resistance

Resilience – Measured by the recovery of the fiber after compression

Friction – Measured by the turf capacity to limit temperature elevation during friction

These key aspects are measured by 4 specific tests:

Key aspects of the Fiber Performance Index

TEAR

Measuring a fiber’s cross tenacity – a key indicator of fiber durability.
This test is commonly used by the plastics industry for quality control purposes.

RECOVERY

Measuring fiber resilience after an exhaustive test of repeated compression cycle.
This test is using a specially designed equipment to reproduce running athletes on field.

UV

Measuring a fiber’s resistance to UV exposure.
This test is designed to match the most demanding standards in force in this domain.

FRICTION

Measuring the floor capacity to limit temperature elevation experienced by the athletes’ skin during sliding.

The test simulates the slide on several meters of a 75kg (165 lbs) athlete at running speed.

Results and Index

Each fiber is measured according to these tests and then graded on a scale of 1–100 in each category. The result is a final FPI, the Fiber Performance Index, which describes the overall fiber quality.

The result is a final FPI, the Fiber Performance Index, which describes the overall fiber quality.

Knowing where your FPI score stands

LABOSPORT Fiber Performance Index – a trusted program by a trusted brand

For over two decades Labosport has been pioneering the synthetic turf industry for sports applications and intensive use. Labosport is an ISO 17025 accredited test institute recognized as one of leading companies involved in synthetic turf testing and technical consulting.